


A Hole in your Mind

by AuthorGenius, Yamato



Series: A Dance of Ice and Fire [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Dark, Death of Younglings, Enemies to Lovers, Hate to Love, Light BDSM, Light Dom/sub, Love/Hate, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-05-22 01:46:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6066004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorGenius/pseuds/AuthorGenius, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamato/pseuds/Yamato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General Hux is a man who enjoys his sleep without bad dreams. Kylo Ren's nights are very different.<br/>Normally, Hux couldn't care less, but when nightmares and tantrums overwhelm Ren, he starts damaging Hux' precious Starkiller Base.<br/>Hux doesn't want to deal with that destruction anymore and offers him an alternative way to release his tension, not knowing what this offer will lead to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for joining us on the Dark Side. Since watching Episode VII in December, we're hopelessly addicted to Kylux. So now we're writing to make the poor boys suffer.  
> Genius will write Kylo's POV and Yamato is responsible for Hux' POV.  
> A special thanks for our beta, gundamoocow. Enjoy her great works as well.

* * *

 

_It came over him once again. This inkling. This emotion, a feeling shying away from plain sight, ever hiding in shadow. He had always known it to exist, but never had it emerged like this._

_On this night it did._

_It crawled over the floor beneath him, crept up the walls, constantly swelling like fumes of thick mist. It emanated from below his mind, filling every corner of his room with a vast blackness, and finally, it swashed over him from the ceiling._

_Eyes wide open, he laid in the dark. His body trembled, unable to move, unable to call for help even if he had wanted to. His breath came in short ragged gasps while sheer panic crept into his eyes as he watched the blackness sag down on him. Engulf him. A numbness seized him, paralyzing his body and mind._

_The scream forming at the back of his throat died before it could reach his mouth._

_Darkness dripped into his open mouth like poison, choking him, squelching every clear thought from his mind and plunging his very soul into an abyss without end._

_His feet were moving again, carrying him through the empty halls. A pale moon shone through the windows, yet her light did not reach the haunted man on his way._

_Hurry! He needed to hurry!_

_He felt the comforting weight of metal, cold and smooth in his hand as he rushed on. It was a practice sword. This was practice, too. A test to see if he was strong enough. Strong enough to face the darkness and make it his own, like his grandfather before him._

_His hand gripped the doorknob and twisted. The door opened soundlessly, clearing his way to the first of the two dormitories. The moonlight shone in here, too, painting strange and twisted patterns on faces in peaceful slumber._

_He closed the door softly before approaching the first bed. A mass of blond curls was the only thing visible on the little girl’s pillow. Her head had somehow disappeared beneath them and her arms clasped some ragged stuffed animal that might have been a rabbit once, or a bantha cub. Clumsy and cheerful by day, Capella’s sleeping form emitted an elegance she was most likely oblivious of._

_He took a step closer to the bed, looking down upon her._

_The blade flashed in silver and white…_

_…before it turned to red like a blossoming flower._

_Ripped out at her very root, this flower would never blossom._

_A scream made his head jerk. Navin, one of the boys, barely seven, had awoken from his sleep, staring at him with wide innocent eyes._

_“Why…?”_

_The child’s scream was squelched in his throat as he was dragged from his bed, his head hitting the wall over and over again until a cruel crack indicated a snapping neck._

_Carelessly he dropped the limp body to the floor. More screams and cries made him hasten as bed after bed was emptied and more and more crimson drenched his robes and spattered the floor beneath him. And still his blade cried for more, cried with the voices and the vast blackness inside him, cried with all the pain and the anger and the hatred and the thirst for more._

_There were new patterns painted on the floor as he left the room. Patterns much darker than the moonlight._

_A blast of the Force ripped the second door from its hinges; at this point he no longer bothered with stealth or secrecy. He stared into small eyes filled with panic as he saw the younglings crouching down in the corners._

_“Master Ben… what… what happened?” asked a twelve-year-old boy who was trying to comfort a crying girl._

_Seeing the bloody sword silenced him. A stroke of the said sword silenced him forever._

_As his head fell down between the others, chaos broke out._

_A padawan who had been hiding under the bed tried to jump his back, but a single movement of his hand threw the child against the wall, breaking his small neck._

_A few others were trying to run over the broken door out into the hall, but he held them in a cold Force grip, squeezing the life out of them._

_The ones who dared to face him in combat however, only nourished the hunger of his blade. He sidestepped a falling ceiling joist, which struck two others instead. Calmly he pulled out his blade from the chest of Yosh, the oldest padawan, his junior by only half a year. There had been a playful rivalry between them as they had tried to surpass each other as the better Jedi._

_“At last, Yosh. As it seems, I’ve won.”_

_There was no answer. Not now and not ever again._

_He was breathing hard as the scent of fear and death pressed heavily upon his throat. Carelessly he stepped over the debris to follow the hallway back outside._

_With every step, he felt the weight of his heart in his chest like a stone. His fingers were still clasping the sword, its blade now crimson even in the pale light._

_His legs carried him through the huge gates out into the cold night._

_Practice was over. His work had only just begun._

 

~*~

 

He awoke with a start, trembling and bathed in his own sweat, the silent scream still quenched in his throat. His head jerked in panic as he tried to come to terms with his surroundings, his hands automatically reaching for the dimmer.

His chest rose and fell as he gasped for breath. His sheets were tangled around his body and the air seemed to press down on him like heavy stone. He threw the sheets aside, reached for his robes to slide them over his bare shoulders and stretched out his hand.

The lightsaber broke free from its restraints and flew towards him. The cold metal came to rest between his fingers, while his feet slipped into his heavy boots. His steps sounded hollow on the sleek floor.

His hands were still trembling but since they were so used to this routine they found the right buttons immediately and everything clicked into place. Yet this time, neither the cool metal nor the familiar weight around his head gave him any comfort. On the contrary, it seemed to multiply the pressure on his mind. Already it boiled with outrage and brought him closer and closer to the point of explosion.

Closer and closer to the point of madness.

He hastened along the hallway, never heeding the technical staff interrupting their work to get away from him as fast as possible. He was used to people moving out of his way as he passed them by.

As the hallway broadened and he reached the console for the lift, his hand gripped the gear stick a little too firm and he felt the construction break beneath his fingers.

The cracking sound it emitted was the famous last straw that broke the tauntaun.

With a snarl he activated the crimson blade watched it buzz through the air as it came down onto the metal, parting it with a screeching sound. Sparks flew as wires and cables were ripped from their fastenings mixed with the acrid stench of smouldering plastic. Again and again he brought his lightsaber down on it, giving way to anger, to madness, to the burning fury inside him that screamed for more.

“What you do on your ship is entirely your business, Lord Ren. On this base, however, I am responsible and I’d rather you’d refrain from destroying valuable military equipment.”

Arms loosely clasped behind his back, General Hux stepped out from the shadows. His entire posture demonstrated control and dignity, except for the eyes staring beneath slightly furrowed brows.

They were clearly filled with annoyance bordering on anger. “If you’re unable to restrain yourself, I can offer you an alternative.”


	2. Disturbances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In these three weeks since Kylo Ren had arrived on Starkiller Base, there hadn't been a single day, when Kylo Ren hadn't had a tantrum about something, someone had complained about Kylo Ren having a tantrum or something had broken because of Kylo Ren having a tantrum. Usually it was two out of three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, dear friends, 
> 
> thanks for joining us again on the dark side. After Genius presented his amazing prologue, here comes the first chapter written by me, Yamato. It's less gloomy than the prologue and it will shed a bit of light on Hux' perspective of things. Again, our wonderful gundamoocow is responsible for the beta.
> 
> Enjoy and thanks for all the reviews and kudos.
> 
> Cheers,  
> Yamato

 

 **Starkiller Base, Central Control room,**  
**several hours earlier  
**

”General? He did it again.“

General Hux raised his eyes from the console, where another hundred and fifty messages were waiting for his attention and turned towards the young Lieutenant instead. “Well, Lieutenant Parker. What was it this time?”

”Only the wall next to the wardroom, sir. But he cut through a wire and there was a light outage in sector C14 for 30 minutes until the droids had repaired it.”

It was only the combination of self-control and iron will that kept Hux from rolling his eyes again. In these three weeks since Kylo Ren had arrived on _Starkiller Base_ , there hadn't been a single day, when Kylo Ren hadn't had a tantrum about something, someone had complained about Kylo Ren having a tantrum or something had broken because of Kylo Ren having a tantrum. Usually it was two out of three.

At first, Hux had thought that these tantrums were strategic moves. Maybe Ren tried to frighten Hux’ staff on purpose to groom his own bad reputation or he was trying to compete with Hux in a power struggle.

As the chosen personal student of Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren was most certainly an important personality. However, he was an important personality lacking an official military rank. In a society like the First Order, where your rank was not only your identification card, but your entire purpose of existence, this lack could lead to a severe inferiority complex, to be compensated with tantrums, of course.

Hux frowned. Old mystic societies of finger wigglers and so-called knights were nothing but old wives’ tales to scare little children with. Such superstition had no place in a modern world.

“Sir? Will you do something about this problem?” The concern in Parker's voice was evident and couldn't be ignored.

Of course, the boy was frightened. They all were. Even before Kylo Ren had set one foot upon this base, the rumors about him had traveled around _Starkiller_ like a buzzing swarm of insects. Dangerous. Unpredictable. Jedi-killer. Monster in a mask. Could read minds. Could enforce his will upon others, could throw items without even touching them. And they said he could hold energy beams or even stop blaster shots with nothing but his own will.

The fact that he hid his face behind a mask only contributed to the myth around the man. When Kylo Ren's shuttle had arrived three weeks ago and everybody of distinction and their stormtrooper guard stood at attention in the hangar, you didn't need some humbug mystical power to feel the aura of fear creeping through the hall and freezing every single one of them. You also didn't need to be able to read minds to hear everyone’s thoughts at this particular moment:

_Why can’t he just go back?_

_And soon._

“I most certainly will, Lieutenant.” Hux’ voice was filled with a determination that he didn’t particularly feel. He was tired of dealing with this additional stress factor called Ren. Starkiller Base was almost fully functional now. Only a few last tests of the thermal oscillator were still on the schedule. This was a field, however, where they could not risk any failures. They had to be able to save the solar energy over a longer period of time without risking instability of the planet. If this didn’t work, they would only be able to load the weapon shortly before they were going to attack and they would lose precious time.

 _19:45._ A reminder on his data pad made him aware of the fact that it was almost time for the meeting with the responsible team of engineers. The remaining messages would have to wait. Hux logged out from the console and rose, acknowledging Parker’s salute with a crisp nod as he strode towards the entrance.

As the doors were sliding apart, he turned once more, glancing at the main screen. At that moment, it showed their flagship, the _Finalizer_ , hovering in the planet’s orbit like a gigantic shadow.

Hux frowned. Well, why _couldn’t_ Kylo Ren just go back?

 

~*~

 

“General.”

“Captain.”

Hux accelerated his strides; it would not have been appropriate to fall back behind Phasma when they both walked in the same direction. As usual she was clad in her special armor, a suit she always wore while on duty and even sometimes when she was not. At first he had wondered what she was trying to hide or compensate for, but there really was no secret to be found. Stormtroopers were trained from childhood to wear their armor like a second skin and she was setting an example for her troops.

She walked with long, forceful strides, not seeming to heed the weight of her armor at all. He doubted that many people could take her on in close combat. In theory, both sexes were promoted equally in the First Order, but in practice, no woman became commander of the stormtroopers if she wasn’t at least three times better than any male competitor.

On their way, they passed a few technical teams who seemed deeply engulfed in their work, only interrupting it for a polite salute. A group of lower-ranked officers passed them by, hastily stopping their conversation as they saw their commanding officers appear before them in the hallway.

Hux looked at their young faces and wondered if besides him and Phasma there was anyone older than thirty stationed on this entire planet. It seemed that the Supreme Leader had only assigned him young staff who had grown up on the values of the First Order.

Actually, he wouldn’t have minded a few veterans from the Empire. Their knowledge and experience would have been welcome to him. Hux had grown up with the stories of the glorious Galactic Star Empire, since he himself had been born into an ancient and noble Imperial family.

On the other hand, it might have undermined his authority if there had been people assigned to work for him who had taken part in great battles. The First Order certainly strove for a common goal, but not all of its elders had been pleased with the fact that a man of his youth had been promoted to General and had been given the responsibility to run such a vital project as _Starkiller_.

He glanced at the captain, who had fallen into step beside him. Except for their initial greeting they hadn’t spoken with each other; one convenient fact about Phasma was that she rarely bothered with pleasantries and only spoke when she had something to say. It was only then when he stopped in front of a door and inserted one of his code cylinders to gain access to a restricted area that she turned to address him: “General Hux? Are you on your way to the technical sector?”

“Correct.” He nodded. “I am meeting Engineer Malony and his team down at the thermal oscillator.”

“It’s quite a long way down there.” She seemed concerned, but this was mere speculation on his part since her vocal modulator didn’t reveal much about her tone of voice. “Are you sure that you don’t want to take a few guards, sir? I could assign some of my troopers to your protection.”

“Thank you, Captain, but that won’t be necessary.” Apart from the fact that his people were fiercely loyal to him as well as to the First Order, nobody would be so foolish as to attack him. Not here on his very own _Starkiller_ _Base_. Not now at the height of his power.

 

~*~

 

 _23:20_. It was close to midnight when General Hux set on his way back to his quarters in the living area. It certainly would have been more comfortable and probably more appropriate to order the engineers into his office, but he had wanted to see the progress for himself. Besides, why should he bother pulling rank on scientists and technicians? They harboured little interest in these kind of games. They had their own playgrounds and on some of them, he was quite proficient.

Hux was pleased with the situation. After three years of hard work they had actually stayed on schedule and almost within budget. Soon they would see the fruit of their efforts.

A buzzing sound made him halt in his steps. It was followed by a loud clatter. Again, you needn’t be a user of some mystical force to understand what was going on.

It was Kylo Ren and he was doing it again.

 


	3. Gentlemen's Agreement

With the precision of a knife, a sharp voice cut through the veil of anger burning in his mind. He froze in the middle of his movement, a sudden change from fire to ice. His chest heaved, trembling with suppressed fury and breath coming in ragged gasps as he slowly turned his head towards the source of this unexpected disturbance.

There was only one man on this Force-forsaken ice cube of a planet who would dare to speak to him while he was in this condition.

The tip of the iceberg.

_General Hux._

Proud, arrogant, and all spruced up in his prim and proper dress uniform with that smug self-assured sneer plastered to his face while he swaggered around giving orders as if he owned the entire galaxy. He was all words, his sly speech and formal rhetorics nothing but an empty shell. There was neither respect nor fear behind it and Hux owed both of them to him, Kylo Ren, apprentice of the supreme leader. Now Hux stood before him throwing out his chest like a parade horse, obviously thinking that his words and behavior would impress or even intimidate Kylo Ren.

_Well, too bad, General. Looks like I’m going to rain on your parade._

Behind the mask, he locked eyes with his opponent. He felt his glare grow wings as it burned through the cold metal of his mask and closed around the general’s neck.

A noose growing tighter and tighter.

_How fitting!_

A dark joy rose inside him, engulfing his mind like the ecstasy that took him on the battlefield when he struck down opponent after opponent in a murderous frenzy. Feeling his own racing pulse, hearing the screams of his enemies…

 Now… _now_ he started to feel it, could even see the fear with his own eyes. It was slowly creeping up into that pale face. It was flooding the blue eyes, forcing the jaw apart as the general began panting for air.

Kylo’s lips curled in a sneer. Soon, very soon, this fear would reach its climax evolving into sheer panic. He had seen it on so many faces before, yet he never grew tired of this special moment.

“Treason”, gasped Hux and Kylo could feel the iron will inside this mind struggle and force the fear to its knees. “Treason against… Supreme Leader Snoke … First Order.”

 Kylo paused. Resistance?  

It was the last thing he had expected.

Surprise and anger intermingled inside his mind twisting into a double helix of wrath and a burning desire to choke the life out of this throat.

And still, he couldn’t deny a certain fascination with this unexpected development. This was far more interesting than the sight of yet another scared-to-death victim cringing before him.

What was even worse, the bastard was right. The supreme leader needed Hux. Him and his cursed Starkiller project.

Kylo Ren loosened his grip and could feel his opponent start to breathe again, seemingly relieved that he was still able to do that.

He straightened himself, towering over the general who was not as tall as him and had to look up to meet his eyes. Nonetheless, there was a sour taste in the back of his throat as he let go of the switch of his lightsaber and watched the blade fade away. 

“A wise decision, Lord Ren.” Hux straightened his uniform. For a few seconds they both remained silent, locking eyes again and trying to stare each other down until Hux took another breath. “Well, getting back to my original point…”

Kylo Ren answered with a disdainful gesture of his hand before starting to speak again. The voice filter of his mask made him sound even more threatening. “And you _should_ get to the point, General. Anyone else in your situation would show gratitude for being allowed to keep his miserable life instead of straining my already thin patience even further.”

_How? How was this possible? How did this man manage to keep his stoic calm even in the face of mortal danger? This attitude alone made Kylo furious, set his mind on fire. This smug arrogant demeanor!_

A tiny smirk appeared on the cold features as Hux replied. “You should know me well enough by now, Lord Ren, to realize that I’m not ‘anyone else’. I am a, no, _the_ general of the First Order. And our supreme leader has entrusted me with a task that I intend to finish. In person.”

_Another credit to his opponent. Master Snoke would not be pleased at all if he killed Hux, although it would be very satisfactory to do so._

He clenched his fist and took a deep breath, drawing from the mask the very sound that made everyone’s blood freeze in their veins.   

_Everyone’s blood, except for the man in front of him._

“With all due respect to your position and your lively temper, Lord Ren, but this” – he pointed to the damaged console still emitting a few sparks – “is more trouble for the First Order than it’s worth. And for that reason I would like to propose an offer to you.”

Yes, of course, the offer he had mentioned earlier. At least Hux hadn’t added something pathetic like: ‘An offer you can’t refuse’.

Kylo snorted, although it sounded more like a growl through the voice filter. What could the parade horse offer him anyway? To him, most talented student of  Supreme Leader Snoke himself, Master of the Knights of Ren, Force user balancing the light and the dark side, Sith and – “

He jerked his head away.

_Not now!_

“Make it short,” snarled his voice through the filter.

The general still regarded him with a curious expression in his eyes. “As you surely know, we employ the latest technologies to provide a thorough and elaborate training program for the troopers as well for the officers. Originally, the battle simulations were developed by my father and later optimized by me. They require the highest operational standards of skill, tactical efficiency and combat strength to pass them. You could –“

“What you are saying is that I should run like a rat through your little maze and shoot droids with fake blasters,” Kylo interrupted him furiously. His voice trembled and once again he felt a surge of anger coursing through his body. “That’s utterly ridiculous.”

“Is it?” Hux merely raised his eyebrows but his face turned sour, as if he had just tasted an Endorian citrus fruit. “You have never experienced any of my simulations, so how can you presume them to be beneath you?”

“And why _should_ I want to experience them? Why should I enter such a ludicrous make-believe battle where I couldn’t even use the weapons of my choice?” Kylo snarled, his body still shaking. Hot wrath wrestled with cold fury and the desire to choke this arrogance out of his opponent’s body.

_Or even better yet: Cut it out of him piece by piece._

“I see. Weapon of your choice you call it. I bet you wouldn’t last ten minutes into my simulation without relying on your so-called Force, Lord Ren.” Hux sneered. “Why does this remind me of an old man leaning on his crutch?” Turning his face away, he waved his gloved hand in a gesture of utter contempt.

“You… dare…!”

The grip around his arm was not physical, but forceful enough as the general was spun around and drawn to face his opponent again.

The black mask was mere inches away from his face. Time seemed to pass slower as they both glared at each other.

“I will not take any insults from you, General. I demand satisfaction.” Kylo’s voice was soft and harsh at the same time as he slowly removed his glove from his hand. He couldn’t kill the bastard without having to face his master’s wrath, but he could make him regret his words. Each and every single one of them.

He dropped the glove to the ground. In the old days of the Galactic Star Empire, everyone would have understood that gesture immediately.

There was a cold smile on General Hux’s lips as he bent one knee to take up the glove in one single flowing movement. His eyes were set firmly on the mask shielding his opponent’s face.

“So, you are challenging me to a duel? Interesting.” Hux rose again. He smoothed his uniform and drew the glove through his fingers once before he returned it to Kylo Ren. “I agree. And as the one challenged, the choice of weapons is left up to me.”

                   

~*~

 

A duel.

 What in all the world had come over him and coaxed him into making such a ridiculous move?

 A duel against _the_ general of the First Order.

 Kylo snorted. More like, a duel against a pale weakling, who had probably never seen a drop of blood in his life, preferring to parade his dress uniform around instead.

 Hux had already set his part of the terms and none of them had come as a surprise to Kylo. It was obvious why he had insisted on Kylo not using the Force. Man versus man. No tricks. Kylo had agreed, he hadn’t even complained about the use of one of Hux’ simulations. It was all fine with him.

 The one condition they had not yet agreed on, was the time. Hux had a busy schedule. Or so he said.

Pathetic. He would take Hux apart piece by piece with or without the Force.

 Kylo Ren strode through the empty hallways of Starkiller base. Usually the entire complex was as busy as a beehive, but wherever he turned up, the whole damn place seemed to turn into a ghost town within moments. Conversations were halted, tasks were abandoned and everyone seemed in such a hurry to get somewhere else.

 He could feel their fear even without trying to sense it. They all crawled from him like scared little bugs trying to find a hole to hide.

 Disgusting.

 Why had the supreme leader insisted to send him down on this stupid ice cube? To check on this so-called super powerful weapon that General Hux spent the First Order’s time, money and material on?

 What did he have to do with this technical knickknack? He had other tasks, far more important than this one. His training for example. It was time to complete it. He needed to become perfect in his use of the Force.

 Why did his master stop him? He was ready for it, he was more than ready.

 People could create, but they could also destroy. It was the Force, this gift of life and death that shaped every living being into its form. That was true perfection, a perfection he seeked to master.

 He didn’t want to deal with this stupefying monotonous deafness lurking around every corner, hiding whenever he approached. He was sick of trembling high-pitched voices addressing him as carefully as if they approached a bomb which could explode every second.

 It was disgusting

 They all were.

 Their eager diligence, their groveling cowardice, their utter dependence on rules and regulations! They didn’t know him, didn’t know what he was capable of. Maybe he should grab one of them in public and rip him to pieces in front of their very eyes. Then they would at least know firsthand what they feared.

 They only thing he actually enjoyed doing in this icehole, was watching the daily training of the stormtroopers. The sheer grace of their movements was fascinating to behold. A mass of white warriors moving in perfect unison, repeating the very same moves over and over again, attack and defend, attack and defend. It was like a dance of discipline. And amongst them was their commander, Captain Phasma.

 Kylo had watched her in sparring matches and he had to admit how delightful it was to see her move. She was quick, agile, and cunning with amazing reflexes. She was one of the soldiers, herself, she could best each of them in combat and her men and women respected her for that.

 It was like himself and the Knights of Ren.

 Why did he think of them right now?

  _When they were out hunting together, they were a perfect unit as well. Fighting together, training, resting around the fire. A unity of power, split into individual warriors. One deadly weapon forged out of many, each and every one deadly in his own right._

 Kylo Ren let go of the balustrade his hands had gripped while he was watching the troopers down in the training hall. He turned and his long robes billowed behind him, rustling to the sound of his heavy boots.  

 “You watched our training, Lord Ren.” Captain Phasma caught up with him, effortlessly falling into step beside him.

 Kylo turned his head, nodding a casual greeting to her. “Your troops are in excellent shape, Captain.”

 Phasma replied with a brisk military salute, before she answered him. “Certainly, sir. Not only must Starkiller Base itself be ready, but our troops as well. The Resistance is never idle. And we must be alert and prepared for whatever schemes those terrorists cook up in their hiding holes.”

 “These so-called rebels are going to cower before our strength,” he spat. “The First Order brings the progress our galaxy needs, so it won’t wither in the weak hands of the New Republic.”

 His voice was full of contempt and his fists clenched again.

 Phasma inclined her head slightly. “I see, we share the same views, my Lord. How pleasant.”

 He turned away. “I’m not here to exchange pleasantries, Captain.”

 “Of course not, Lord Ren.”                        

                 ~*~

 It was unnecessary to visit the central control every morning during Hux’ shift, but Ren did it nonetheless. He enjoyed watching that self-assured snob at work.

 What he enjoyed even more was that his presence finally managed to wipe that smug sneer off of that pale face and replace it with a look of annoyance. Hux managed to hide his discomfort well, but Kylo saw him tense each time when he, Kylo Ren, entered the room with forceful strides and became the center of attention immediately.   

 Once again, the personnel hastened to move out of his way or hid behind their consoles after their initial salute, cowering in fear. Ren liked it that way. It gave his grand entrance more of an impact. As for the general, he might think himself an expert at hiding his emotions, but he didn’t know that his thoughts and feelings practically screamed in Kylo’s face.

  _Piss off, Ren! You’re in my bloody territory!_

 The corners of Kylo’s mouth curled upwards behind the mask. The general was nervous. Impatient. Pondering the question what he, Ren, might do next and whether he planned to destroy something else on his precious base.

  _I’m a wild card to him, he cannot figure me out. I refuse to be understood and that upsets him, because he’s practically a control freak. Good. Why should I make things easy for him? You want to play, General Hux? Fine, we play._

_This game, however, will be played by my rules, not yours._


	4. Zugzwang

**Starkiller Base, Meeting Room C05, two days later**

**Time: 16.25**

The finger wiggler was certainly biding his time, but if this was supposed to be some weird war strategy, it certainly wasn’t going to work on Hux.

During the three days following Ren’s challenge they had probably encountered each other about a dozen times. No, there had been thirteen times to be precise and Hux remembered each encounter very clearly. He could withdraw each of them from his memory at any time.

When Hux was busy giving orders in the central control room, he could be certain that Ren would suddenly appear to throw in a few snide remarks. During the routine combat and fitness training of the command staff, Ren watched from afar, his thoughts and emotions inscrutable behind the mask. Also, every once in a while, Ren would even burst into a meeting and just stand around provocatively, while all the command staff hastened to jump to their feet.

Hux, of course, always remained seated no less provocatively. Ren might be a guest of honour, but Hux was still the commanding officer of this base. A general rose for no one, especially not this…

“General Hux?” Colonel Datoo’s voice interrupted his train of thought and reminded him of the fact that Lieutenant Rodinon had just asked him a technical question. “Should the lieutenant rather address Colonel Malony for this information?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. As it happens, I’m familiar with all the technical details of the weapon.” Hux pressed his lips together and swallowed his anger. He would not let Datoo make a fool of him, least of all here in front of his own people. He really needed to pull himself together now or Ren’s guerilla warfare would eventually succeed.

And he wasn’t going to let this happen. Ren wasn’t the first to try this and he wouldn’t be the first to fail. If there was one characteristic feature that Brendol Hux junior was especially proud of, it was his iron will and discipline. That was something he did not only expect from his people but also from himself.

“Well, Lieutenant.” Hux folded his hands and leaned back in his office chair at the head of the conference table. “I want you to listen carefully, since I’d rather not repeat myself. As you very well know, neither a natural nor an artificial energy field will suffice to contain the energy of an entire sun. Therefore we have decided to combine the two. Unlike the Death Star used by the Galactic Star Empire, Starkiller Base is located on a natural planet and therefore, we can use this planet’s natural magnetic field to our needs.”

Rodinon nodded, while Hux took a sip from his teacup before he continued: ”As for the artificial field, we now possess a fully functional thermal oscillator especially developed for this purpose by Engineer Malony and his team. Three standard days ago, I received the latest update about this device after the last series of tests were performed. For the safety of this base it is absolutely mandatory that the synchronization rates of the two energy fields are on the same level, which means they may not deviate from each other more than 0.5 percent.”

For some time he gazed at his own reflection in the black gleaning surface of the conference table. He looked exhausted and not even the tea could change that fact, although he had ordered an extra strong blend from the service droid. “Your new assignment, Lieutenant, will therefore include monitoring the synchronization rates in the control room. You will answer respectively to Colonel Datoo, who, as you very well know, is in command of the central control room as well as to Colonel Malony, who will be in constant contact with you. He will monitor the transformation and containment of the solar energy and he has the final word whether or not to abort the acquisition in case of an emergency.”

Rodinon nodded again while his fingers ran over the datapad, processing the new information. Hux’s glance wandered past him, over to Datoo, who sat at the table with a stony expression on his face. He certainly did not like the idea of Malony being able to overrule him, that much was certain. Their mission, however, as well as the safety of the base were by far more important than power struggles between the command staff, so Hux decided not to pay the colonel’s discomfort any attention.

“General, might I have a word in private?” Datoo obviously saw things in a different light.

Hux frowned. So this was the benefit from having one single experienced officer on his team, more annoying power struggles and more stress. “As long as no classified information is involved, you may speak frankly, Colonel.”

“As you wish, General. I simply would like to know how high Colonel Malony considers the risk that the two containment fields might become unstable.”

Hux took a deep breath. He was certain that his officers had noticed his perplexity before he was able to suppress it. Still, such a question had been the very last thing that he had expected. He had anticipated a complaint or a verbal attempt to attack Malony’s competence. Had he become so paranoid that he saw rivalry in places where there was none?

His mood wasn’t the best today; that much was certain. Involuntarily, his glance wandered over to the entrance door as if he expected Ren to burst in at any moment. But the doors remained closed. Snoke’s personal pain in the arse seemed to have better things to do tonight. Throwing more tantrums and destroying more equipment, perhaps.

“The chances of such an event occurring are so slim that it can barely be called a calculated risk. In all our tests, the highest deviation of the synchronization rate was less than 0.001 percent. The two energy fields are perfectly matched and the thermal oscillator is therefore well protected from any malfunction.”

“I understand, General.” Colonel Datoo narrowed his brows. “Therefore, is it really necessary to leave such an important decision to Colonel Malony?”

 _No, not this again…_ so his bad feeling had not deceived him after all.

Hux felt a leaden fatigue wash over him and he desperately yearned for another cup of tea. “I am the one making the decisions here, Colonel Datoo. You as well as Colonel Malony should better not forget that.”

~*~

**Starkiller Base, Holochamber**

**Time: 18.37**

“These are most promising news, General.”

In the shadowy darkness of the holochamber, Supreme Leader Snoke’s pale silhouette was hovering above him like a lethal cloud of poisonous mist.

 _Lethal to our enemies, not loyal members of the First Order_ , Hux reminded himself.

Still, he couldn’t suppress soft shudder running through his body. His hands cramped inside their elegant black leather gloves. Here in this surreal place, all the tales and rumours seemed to come true.  Strange powers. Inexplicable phenomena. Oddities. Monsters lurking in the mists.

Time and again, these foolish thoughts and childish fears crept up inside his mind like little poisonous snakes. Time and again, he pushed them aside and assured himself of the fact that he was a rational thinking adult, unimpressed by some technical humbug. The appearance of the supreme leader was staged for the many small-minded people who needed staging to pay someone the proper respect that they deserved. Hux knew these tactics only too well, having mastered them himself.

This chamber was the only location on this entire base of which he had no technical plans. It wasn’t even shown on the regular blueprints. Neither had these holoprojectors been built by one of his regular construction teams. Hux did not question these things and did not discuss them. He was the only person able to enter this room, although he could be sure that Kylo Ren had been here as well since his arrival. If the supreme leader had any personal contact with other members of his crew, Hux wasn’t informed about it.

“This news, however, is not the reason why you wished to speak to me, is it, General?”

“No, Supreme Leader.” Hux wasn’t surprised at all that Snoke had seen the true motive behind his visit. Snoke knew many things.

Hux didn’t make the mistake of lying, stalling, or attempting to avoid the subject. “There is a request, I wish to discuss with you if your time allows it. We are in need of further shuttles on Starkiller Base. During today’s meeting, we discussed the unlikely, but possible chance of an emergency. Should such an event occur, we do not have the capacity to evacuate the planet. With our current resources, we can bring no more than a fourth of the Starkiller Crew to safety.”

“Are you saying one fourth is not sufficient to evacuate the highest ranking officers and the relevant technical staff?”

“Yes, Supreme Leader. However, may I remind you of the fact that all our crew are well-educated special forces. The best of the best. Each one of them was trained from early childhood on for his tasks in the First Order. It would be an immense waste of material to leave any of them here and it would prove much more costly in the long run that a few more shuttles at this time.”

“Your arguments are logical, General.” The ghostly features didn’t change in the least as the ancient eyes set their gaze upon Hux. “Nevertheless I have to deny your request. Even a powerful organization such as ours does not have an unlimited number of shuttles and the ones we possess are needed elsewhere for the moment.

“Do we have the possibility to…” Hux began, but even as he started to speak, he could feel his own voice failing him. It was as if someone had suddenly frozen his vocal chords or pressed the air from his lungs. The feeling was so strange and unfamiliar that he couldn’t even tell which one of the two.

“Do not waste my time, General. And neither should you waste yours.”

Hux fell silent. The decision was made and it wasn’t his place to question the wisdom of the supreme leader.

**Starkiller Base, Officers’ Mess**

**Time: 22.17**

“General, I surrender.”

Malony took his king off the board. “I could have captured your queen, but then you would have simply squashed me between your castle and your bishop. You’ll have me in another three moves anyway and there is not a thing I could do to stop you.”

In general, all types of games were silly ridiculous things, a total waste of time and energy, and therefore, strictly forbidden for each military member of the First Order. The mere possession of objects like dice or cards called for disciplinary measures, although they usually were not as severe as the possession of forbidden foods and beverages.

Sports matches, capture the flag and other competitions that were considered part of the military training, formed exceptions to the rule. Strategy games, to a certain extent, were permitted as well because there was a specific usefulness to them.

Chess was one of these rare exceptions. It was a quite popular pastime among the command staff, but it was the engineers who excelled at it. Chess was one of their specialties. Back in the academy, Hux had realized that being a good chess player was one of the pillars you needed to build yourself a reputation as a good strategist. So his games against Malony and other members of his staff posed an excellent chance for him to gain respect for his intellectual abilities.

“An outstanding game, Colonel.” A victor could afford generosity. Hux rose from the table to extend his hand to Malony, who hastily leapt to his feet. “I almost fell for your trap. You never planned to complete your pawnpush, it was only meant as distraction for my queen. Did you know, what I was planning?”

Malony nodded and started to gather the pieces to put them back into the box. “The Arkanian Dragon, wasn’t it? Unfortunately I realized your intentions too late.”

“Correct, that is what they call this maneuver.” Hux’s lips curled up in a thin smile. Obviously, his chief engineer’s competence was not only limited to technical things. “It is named after a constellation visible from my home planet.”

There was a slight swishing noise as the door to the officers’ mess slid open. “A game against me, General?”

What the…? Hux stared at the tall black figure appearing before him.

For the entire day, he had expected their paths to cross. In the central control room, perhaps in his office, maybe during physical training or in one of the conference rooms. Ren could appear anywhere.

Anywhere, but here. What did he want in the officers’ mess? Ren never went to the officers’ mess. He had all of his meals in his private quarters and he wasn’t at all interested in socializing.  

With a few quick strides, Kylo Ren had crossed the room and approached the table.

Malony was on his feet already, but as Ren moved closer, Phasma, Datoo, Parker and all the other crew members rose in respect as he passed their tables. Hux gave a silent curse because he was already standing and therefore, could not remain seated provocatively. And sitting down right now would prove too much of a provocation. He knew that well enough.

Confusion emanated from the entire room and the tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

It was time to take back control.

“Lord Ren, to what circumstances do we owe the honour of your visit?” There was nothing but respect sounding in Hux’ voice. A person had to listen real well to make out the tiny drop of contempt behind his words.

“I do not like to repeat myself, General.” Ren added an inviting gesture in the direction of the chess board to his words.  

Chess? Ren and chess? Was that part of his usual training with the order of the knights of finger wiggling?

Hux couldn’t stop himself from raising his eyebrows as he watched Malony dutifully take up the pieces to set them on their proper positions on the board. After that, the engineer stepped aside to leave his place at the table to Ren.

The very idea that a bunch of wild Jedi hunters sat down after battle to pass some recreational time with a game of chess was utterly strange. Ridiculous, to say the least.

Well, if Ren insisted on the challenge. Maybe his next task was to try to outrun Phasma on the track or perhaps he even planned on replacing Malony to draw the construction plans for a newer and more effective weapon. And then he would replace Supreme Leader Snoke and rule the galaxy. Right.

“Which colour would you prefer, Lord Ren? White makes the first move.” Hux sat down on his chair as if it were a throne, never taking his eyes off his opponent.

This wasn’t the first time that he wondered what was hiding behind this mask. Ren’s impulsive behavior pointed towards a younger man, but this assumption could be wrong. For some people, a hot temper was simply a character trait and had nothing to do with age. Maybe Ren wasn’t a man at all, perhaps not even human.

He squashed that treacherous thought at once. The old laws of the Empire still counted and non-humans were not allowed to hold ranks in the First Order. The Supreme leader would not make an exception, not even for his student.

“And black makes the last.” Ren’s answer was clear.

Hux decided on a traditional opening, setting his king’s pawn to E4. Well, now he would see whether this so-called knight could be called an opponent or not.

Black Pawn to E5. A traditional response.

White Pawn to F4. King’s gambit.

Hux waited eagerly. Judging by his behavior, he expected Ren to be an aggressive player, trying to capture every piece someone waved in front of him. This was his first opportunity to do so. Would he accept?

He did. Ren took the white pawn with his next move. He held the delicately carved wooden piece in his hand for a moment, gazing at it before he set it down at the side of the board. “Who would have thought that a man of progression like you valued such old things, General.”

Hux pushed his bishop to C4. The distorted voice behind the mask did not show whether this question was meant as a verbal attack or whether there was an honest curiosity behind it.

He finally decided on an honest, but safe answer. “Like every loyal member of the First Order, I value the good old traditions of our glorious Star Empire. And chess is part of these traditions, just like duty, discipline, loyalty and a good cup of tea.”

Some of Hux’ officers chuckled at his last remark, although they tried to hide their interest in the game and avoided staring at the two players. Ren of course, did not display any emotion. Only a slight movement of his head had showed that he directed his attention back to the board.

Hux observed the constellation before him and wondered whether it would have been a better move to use his knight instead of the bishop. He certainly needed a bishop to perform the Arkanian Dragon, but by moving the knight he could have secured H4 and made sure that Ren didn’t put his queen into play with his next move.

“Check.” Ren set the black queen to H4. “I would have thought that you preferred holo-chess to the classical version. We use only the best and newest technical equipment at the Order, don’t we? And wood doesn’t seem particularly innovative to me.”

Hux rescued his king to F1 to get it out of the black queen’s reach and wondered how he could best react to this slight provocation. “As I said before, there is tradition. This chess game was once a gift from Grand Moff Tarkin to my father, Commandant Brendol Hux senior.”

Ren pushed his pawn to B5 threatening Hux’ bishop. “Your father knew Grand Moff Tarkin?”

“He did”, Hux replied while capturing Ren’s pawn easily. He was pleased that this fact seemed to have made a certain impression on Ren. The knight was probably familiar with the leaders of the Empire. Still, Hux didn’t go further into the topic; it would have been too obvious bragging. After all, the important imperial families all knew each other in one way or the other.

After certain difficulties in the beginning - Tarkin had tried to find proof that Hux senior wasn’t entirely loyal to the Empire - Hux and Tarkin had settled their differences only to discover that they had many things in common. They had been in contact with each other for some years. However, these events had taken place before Hux junior was born and he only knew about them from conversations with his father.

Ren didn’t pursue the subject. He pushed his knight to F6, attacking the white king’s pawn. Hux grinded his teeth, finally having to admit that Ren was a serious opponent after all. His tactics were aggressive and sometimes impulsive, but this unpredictability made it especially hard to see through his moves.

Ren on the other hand seemed prepared for Hux’ tactics. He couldn’t know about the Arkanian Dragon, though. The last time Hux had used this combination, Ren had not been on Starkiller Base yet and as for the game against Malony earlier this evening, Ren had not been present.

Hux pushed his knight to F3, threatening the black queen. This meant zugzwang for Ren, he had to pull her back if he wanted to save her. And so he did, rescuing her to H6. This gave Hux another move to think on the protection of his kings’s pawn, before he came back to his original goal of capturing the black queen.

Thinking hard, he rested his chin in his hand, regarding the constellation on the board. He could draw his second knight to C3, but this really didn’t seem like the most promising move. Knights were pieces you could always bring into the game. It was much better to move his pawn out of the black queen’s path to make way for his second bishop. With this move, he turned the tables and now the black king’s pawn was the one being attacked.

Ren leaned forward. It was just a small movement, but Hux believed he could feel the knight’s intense gaze behind the mask burning through plastic and metal.

How would his opponent proceed? He could not move the pawn itself because Hux’ knight stood right before it on F3. Yet, there were three other pieces he could use to protect it, the bishop, the knight, or the queen. Hux certainly hoped, the queen would be the chosen one, making it easier for him to capture her. If Ren was smart, however, he would use the knight.

And Ren was smart. Black knight to H5. Hux followed with his own knight to H4. Ren’s knight was now threatened by Hux’ queen, but it would be suicide to use her now. Ren would have captured her with his own queen during the next move. And without queen, neither the Arkanian Dragon nor any of his other combinations could work. A bishop or a castle could be replaced, but there was only one queen among his pieces.

_As long as the queen is still in the game, it’s not over yet._

A tiny smile curled up the corners of Hux’ mouth. He hadn’t failed to notice that they were the center of attention in the entire room, although the other officers pretended very hard to be busy with conversations or with their datapads.

Ren set his queen to G5. Finally. The prospect of capturing the white knight proved too much of a temptation for him, didn’t it? Hux moved it around to queen to F5, tempting him even more. Still, he didn’t think that Ren would fall for his trap already. Even a beginner could see that F5 was covered by the white king’s pawn. The black queen would be gone in no time.

Actually, the smartest thing Ren could do now, was to open up a complete new battlefield to distract attention from this one. This strategy didn’t only work in a chess game, it was also a brilliant move for real wars. Emperor Palpatine had been a master of this; he had beaten the old Republic by using their own little squabbles against them. Ren could push his pawn to C6 for example to attack Hux’ bishop on B5. This would set Hux under zugzwang as to not lose the bishop.

Ren set his pawn to C6.

Hux swallowed hard. What an incredible coincidence that Ren had had the very same idea in the very same moment!

On the other hand, Ren hadn’t had a lot of choices to begin with. It certainly wouldn’t have helped much to change the position of the queen. Ren’s only alternative would have been to put his knight to G3 and thus attack the king. That wouldn’t have been a smart move, however. Hux would have simply captured the black knight with his pawn on H2.

Hux was still thinking hard. If he wasted a move to save the bishop now, this would further distract him from his plan to capture Ren’s queen and even further from his strategy of using the Arkanian Dragon. He had to admit that his board wasn’t yet as well developed as he had planned. It was about time to bring his castle into the game. And his queen. There was no rush with the queen though. She was always the last piece.

All right. Black queen first, castle second.  Hux pushed the pawn to G4, directly in front of Ren’s queen. This move didn’t threaten her of course, but it threatened Ren’s knight on H5. Perhaps Ren was even impulsive enough to capture the pawn and give Hux’ queen an open attack.

He was not. Ren saved his precious knight by pulling back to F6.

“You like the knights, don’t you?” Hux was actually curious about this.

“Doesn’t every player have his favorite pieces?” Ren asked, evading a direct answer to the question.

Hux looked from one piece to the next, evaluating his possibilities. He had several choices now; he could pursue the queen further, but he could also bring his bishop to safety. There was a third option however, this was the perfect opportunity to bring in the castle. For the moment, Ren’s attention was distracted between two battlefields. He was probably still wondering whether to capture Hux’ bishop or whether to concentrate on saving his queen.

White castle to H6. The castle was in the game now. Well, if Ren wanted to capture the bishop, the timing would be perfect. Neither black knight nor black queen were in any imminent danger.

Ren captured the bishop without hesitation. As if somehow the same thought had crossed his mind at the same time.

White pawn to H4. The black queen was basically surrounded now. Ren had only one field left to escape and that was G6. H6 was protected by the white knight and H5 by the white pawn.

Ren pulled the black queen back to G6. Every other move would have been stupid and if there was one favourable thing, Hux could say about him, it was the fact that Ren was an intelligent player. He had proven himself to be just that.

Hux decided to take the cat-and-mouse game to the next level. White pawn to H5. Ren reacted at once, black queen to G5. Hux set the white queen to F3 and Ren moved his knight back to G8 to make way for his queen’s escape.

Hux pushed his bishop to F4, capturing a black pawn. White bishop and black queen were at each other’s throats now. It was a risky move to sacrifice his second bishop, but it was all right as long as he still had both castles and the queen.

 _Come on, Ren, take the bloody bishop!_ Hux felt a drop of sweat on his forehead as his thoughts started to race. _Come, get it. I know that you want it!_

A short clattering noise interrupted his train of thought, demonstrating him how silent the room had become. As it seemed, someone had dropped a datapad. A flurry of reproachful glances was directed at a red-faced young officer who hastily bowed down to retrieve the device.

Meanwhile, the onlookers had given up on their attempts to pretend to not to be interested in the game. Also, the room had become pretty crowded, in fact very crowded considering that the hour was so late.

Ren, however, had absolutely no intention of falling for Hux’ trap. Instead of attacking, he pulled his queen back to F6. Since she threatened one of Hux’ pawns now, he set his knight to C3 almost immediately. Ren moved his bishop to C5 to threaten Hux’ castle.

The game had changed course again within just a few moves. Hux had to admit that his attempt to capture the black queen had been thwarted thoroughly. And Ren, who had been on the run most of the time could switch to a more offensive strategy. Now it was him setting the pace and Hux was the one who had to react.

His castle was in danger and his first thought should be to protect it. All he had to do was to push his pawn to D4 to block the black bishop’s way, but he hated the thought of merely reacting to Ren’s provocation. Besides, how did Ren get the idea of attacking the castle at this moment? He couldn’t know how important the castle was to Hux’ strategy. Or could he?

And there was still the matter of Ren’s queen. Hux didn’t really want to give up on her. Nothing was more demoralizing for an enemy than the loss of his most important piece. Target the queen. Well, should this so-called resistance, the secret war dog of the corrupt New Republic ever prove any trouble to the First Order…

_One well-placed assassin, competent and well-payed, and all trouble would be history._

White knight to D5. This was a risky move, but Hux was back in the game. _Run, Ren, run…_

“Are you trying to make me angry, General? I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The black queen chased over the board to B2, taking Hux’ pawn. Obviously, Ren had no intention of playing it safe. Like a fierce animal trapped in a corner, he attacked and rushed right in the middle of the enemy’s troops. And his queen _could_ do a lot of damage in her current position.

Are _you threatening me?_ The thought raced through his mind, but Hux did not speak it out loud. What if Ren’s temper had been rising under the mask all of this time? Well, if Ren had a tantrum in here, it would be certainly be very embarrassing for him.

And lethal for everyone else. A ticking bomb in a room packed with people.

For the first time since they had started this game, Hux actually considered the option of losing it on purpose. Ren would be content with a victory, he would perhaps even leave Hux alone for the remainder of his visit and it couldn’t be too long until Supreme Leader Snoke sent his precious lapdog elsewhere. Perhaps a tactical retreat would be a wise move. Why compete with someone who wasn’t really a threat to his position?

What moves did he have left anyway? Knight to C7 in order to check the king? Castle to E1? No, he bloody wouldn’t let himself defeated in such a way. Ren was a threat after all. This was the mess of his officers on his base and he would not let himself be made a fool of in front of his own crew.

 _Come on, Ren!_ He pulled the white bishop to D6, putting it out there as bait. This time, he was sure, Ren would fall for it. The knight was angry and probably didn’t think too clearly in his current condition. Black bishop takes white bishop. White knight takes black bishop, check. Black king flees to D8. White knight pursues to F7, taking black pawn. King escapes to E8, knight follows to D6, king goes back to D8. White queen to F8, checkmate. It was a perfect strategy and all that Ren had to do for it to work, was to capture that one bloody bishop.

Ren, however, did not move. He sat there, motionless like a statue, a sculpture carved of metal and plastic. The entire room had gone so quiet that Ren drawing breath through his mask seemed to be the only sound cutting through the silence.

No one was hammering on their datapad, no one was speaking, yes, it seemed, no one dared to breathe anymore.

_Take that bloody bishop, you bloody bastard!_

Ren moved the black bishop to G1, taking Hux’ castle.

Hux made a sudden uncontrolled movement, he barely managed to grab one hand with the other before it could hit the table and reveal his state of shock to everyone present.

“General, your thoughts are so loud, they’re really disturbing my concentration.” Not even the distortion could hide the amusement in Ren’s voice. “I work very hard to keep them out, but when you practically scream them through the entire room, this proves quite difficult.”

Hux was breathing hard, resisting the temptation of wiping his sweaty face with his sleeve. So the rumours were true after all, Kylo Ren could read minds. And Hux had presented him his thoughts and strategy practically on a silver platter, complete fool that he was.

Control was the problem. Discipline. He had neglected both of them. Had allowed Ren to look beyond his façade. But how could you hide your thoughts from someone who read them as if they were on open book?

He thought of abandoning the game, but once again, his pride got in the way. He wanted to see this through. Hastily he pushed a pawn to B5 to guard his bishop. Having just lost a castle, he wasn’t willing to sacrifice the bishop anymore.

In a blink of an eye he realized his fatal mistake.

“Check” Ren set his queen to A1, taking the second white castle in the process. Hux saved his king to E2 to get it out of danger. Everything looked worse than ever. One bishop down and two castles. The Arkanian Dragon was history, just like any other strategy of his. He might as well give up right now.

What options were left to him? The knights? Hux was no particular fan of knights. They were chaotic and somewhat unpredictable. It didn’t come as a surprise that someone like Ren would favour them over all other pieces. They did mirror his own personality after all.

The queen. He still had his queen, but she was likely to be Ren’s next victim. He had always thought about the fact how important she was to his strategy and Ren was certain to have heard it in his mind. He knew.

However, even if he managed to develop a new strategy, how could he keep Ren from seeing through it right away?

Black knight to A6. Hux wasn’t surprised that Ren put his token piece into the game. The knight covered C7 and made sure that Hux could not advance his bishop, but that hadn’t been his goal anyway. At the moment he didn’t even know what his goal was. Did he still have one?

Hux didn’t permit himself to wallow in these thoughts. They were counterproductive and cowardly as well, even treacherous. When had he ever given up like that? He wouldn’t be where he was now, if he had allowed defeat to knock him off his path.

The bastard could read minds? Fine, then let him read!

“Check.” Hux set his own knight to G7, capturing the black pawn. _Die, you bastard_! It wasn’t over yet. It wasn’t over yet because he still had his queen.

_As longs as the queen is still in the game, it’s not over yet._

Ren’s black king evaded to D8. The way was clear for Hux’ pawn on E5. Three moves for a pawnpush? Was that wise? Or should he move his bishop to E7?

“Check” Hux moved the white queen to F6.

Zugzwang for Ren. There wasn’t much room for his king to flee. C7 was covered by the white knight and the bishop. E7 was still in the white queen’s reach and E8 was guarded by the second white knight. Who would have thought that the knights could be so useful after all? Maybe he had underestimated them.

Ren shoved his knight to F6, capturing the white queen. Calmly, Hux watched as Ren’s black gloved hand took the queen off the board, setting her to the other pieces at the side.

_Sometimes you have to sacrifice your most precious piece, Ren._

_Is that thought loud enough for you to hear?_

Hux did not get a chance to move his bishop in on E7 for the checkmate. In the very next moment a black-gloved hand swiped the board, knocking the pieces off into all directions. With a loud clanking noise the wooden board fell to the ground. The noise mingled with small sounds of panic as people jumped off their seats, some standing around, some even fleeing towards the door.

Hux and Ren both had risen. They stood before each other, leaning into their opponent’s personal space, their faces mere inches apart. Hux could see every scratch on the black mask and he could feel Ren’s burning gaze upon his own skin.

There was a stinging ache emerging from the middle of his forehead and his entire head seemed to explode with pain. And there was Ren’s voice in his mind, louder and clearer as if he had spoken to his face.

_Midnight. Simulation code: HAL-GLA-DOS._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re sorry that you guys had to wait so long for the update. This chapter was hell to translate, especially the chess game. Nevertheless we want to thank you all for still reading and enjoying our story.
> 
> We are also aware of the fact that new information has been released regarding Hux’ first name and background, but we decided to stick to our original story and not rewrite or change things around. In the end, canon will always catch up with fandom, but in our view that doesn’t make stories or artwork less enjoyable.
> 
> Thanks so much for your comments, your kudos and your bookmarks and if there are artists among you who ever get the itch to draw Hux and Ren at the chessboard, please let us know. We would feel honored. :)
> 
> Cheers,  
> Yamato & Genius


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